Tabs vs Spaces (Who Cares) cover image

Tabs vs Spaces (Who Cares)

Scott Keck-Warren • October 1, 2025

Tabs or Spaces: Here’s the Real Answer

Ah yes… Tabs vs Spaces — the great developer debate no one asked for, but everyone has an opinion on.

We’ve all seen the arguments. Code reviews that turn into flame wars. Dev teams divided. Friendships ended. All over how you indent your code.

Let’s break it down.

Tabs: The Overachiever

Honestly, tabs are like the Swiss Army knife of indentation.

Spaces: The Control Freak

The Truth?

Unless you’re contributing to Python 2 or starring in a fake productivity cult, it doesn’t really matter.

Here’s the actual answer: Use what your team uses. Set it in your .editorconfig, let your linter enforce it, and move on with your life.

Seriously. Tabs and spaces do the same thing. The only wrong answer is mixing both and pretending everything's fine.

So pick a side — or don’t. Just write code. Push features. Stop fighting about whitespace.

Want the TL;DR? Spaces are boring. Tabs are powerful. Use whichever keeps your team from yelling at each other.

Let me know if you'd like a CTA at the end for TikTok cross-promotion or to tie it into a dev tips series.

Perfect — thanks for the clarity.

Here’s a TikTok-optimized, punchy script with a humorous tone that respects the audience’s intelligence but doesn’t take itself too seriously. You’ll be on camera with cutaways to code and b-roll, so I’ve added cues for visual pacing too.

🎬 Short-Form Script: “Tabs vs Spaces: Here’s the Real Answer”

Target Duration: \~55–60 seconds Tone: Funny, confident, mildly sarcastic Format: On-camera + code overlays/b-roll Target Audience: Junior to mid-level devs

[OPENING HOOK – 0-5 sec | On-Cam, fast-paced]

“Tabs vs spaces? Oh, you mean the argument keeping developers from solving actual problems since like… forever.”

(Overlay: dramatic title card “TABS VS SPACES” with battlefield music)

[SECTION 1 – 5-15 sec | On-Cam + Cut to Editor Overlay]

“So here’s the deal: a tab is one character. A space is… also a character. But you need four of them. Or two. Or… whatever your senior dev yells about in code review.”

(Overlay: code snippet showing tab vs four spaces, mock angry comment in code: // USE 2 SPACES OR ELSE) Quick zoom-in + *ding sound when “4 spaces” appears)*

[SECTION 2 – 15–25 sec | On-Cam + B-Roll or Code]

“Tabs are efficient. Smaller file size. Adjustable width. Better accessibility. It’s basically the Swiss Army knife of whitespace.”

(B-roll: fake product ad for “Tabs™ – now with adjustable width!”)

[SECTION 3 – 25–35 sec | On-Cam + Overlay]

“Spaces are predictable. What you type is exactly what you see. Which is great… unless you accidentally mix tabs and spaces. Then your codebase turns into a haunted house.”

(Overlay: terminal showing mixed tabs/spaces causing weird indentation. Play quick horror sting)

[SECTION 4 – 35–50 sec | On-Cam, sincere but funny tone]

“Look, here’s the real answer: use. what. your. team. uses. Set it in your editor config, let the linter handle it, and stop starting holy wars over whitespace.”

(Overlay: .editorconfig file, slowly zooming in on indent_style = whatever_works) Cut to dev sipping coffee, unbothered.

[CLOSING – 50–60 sec | On-Cam, smirking]

“Arguing about tabs vs spaces is like arguing about light mode vs dark mode. The right answer is: pick one, shut up, and get back to writing code.”

(Text overlay: “The war continues… but it’s not your battle.”)

Think I'm wrong? Convince me in the comments.

Let me know if you want alternate endings like a callback joke or mock tab/space police bursting in. Happy to punch it up even more or adjust pacing for TikTok’s cuts and subtitles.